The SRC offers a brief overnight stay and linkages to community-based services for individuals who are struggling with mental illness, substance use disorders, or homelessness.

The facility, owned and administered by TASC, is located just blocks away from the Cook County Jail. It offers a “softer landing” for vulnerable persons who are being released from the jail, with the goal of reducing re-arrests, future incarceration, adverse health outcomes, and future incidents of homelessness.

At the Cook County Jail—the largest single site jail in the United States—staff estimate that at least 30 percent of the daily population is living with some form of mental illness. An April 2016 survey study conducted by the UChicago Health Lab found that over 70 percent of respondents being released from Cook County Jail indicated some form of mental illness, substance use disorder, or other acute need, including feeling unsafe leaving the jail or an immediate need for medical care. More than one in three of those leaving the jail with indications of mental illness and substance use disorders were re-arrested within just five months of release. With approximately 70,000 individuals passing through the jail each year, the need to better serve individuals as they transition out of the jail has become a pressing public health concern.

“We know that people released from jail often don’t have a safe place to go, especially if they are facing addiction, mental illness, or homelessness,” said TASC President Pam Rodriguez. “The SRC represents a collective effort of partners in the nonprofit sector, academia, government—and supported by private donors—to create a better path to health and safety.”

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office provides assistance in assessing and recruiting people for the center as they are leaving the jail. Participation in the SRC is voluntary, and interested participants are transported to the SRC by TASC staff, where they receive light food, clothing, and access to showers. TASC staff at the SRC conduct needs assessments and facilitate linkages to services in the community, including substance use treatment, mental health services, supportive housing, job training programs, and legal aid resources.

Participants also have access to an advanced practice nurse (APN) on-site, to provide immediate medical care and any necessary prescription medications. For those individuals who are identified as being homeless, Heartland Alliance Health is offering longer-term, more intensive case management services. The University of Chicago Health Lab is evaluating the project.

The SRC was the winner of the Health Lab’s 2015 Innovation Challenge, which sought to identify and evaluate the most promising solutions to pressing challenges in public health.

SRC partners gather to celebrate the center’s launch.

Along with the University of Chicago Health Lab, numerous foundations and donors have contributed to the development of the SRC, including: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, The Chicago Community Trust, Crown Family Philanthropies, Michael Reese Health Trust, Margot and Thomas Pritzker Family Foundation, Reynolds Family Foundation, The Siragusa Family Foundation, and SixDegrees.org.